Bodily Autonomy

The right of individuals to make decisions about their own bodies, including how they use their bodies for work, what medical treatments they receive, and how they manage their physical and mental health. In disability contexts, bodily autonomy is frequently compromised through institutional control, involuntary treatment, guardianship systems, and paternalistic attitudes that assume disabled people cannot make informed decisions about their own bodies. Respecting bodily autonomy is a core principle of disability rights and is essential for designing accessible technologies and services that empower rather than control disabled users.